Any word on pre-patch?

[Feral Druid ist Op]

Not that I think it will be delayed, but I have said for a while I believe the best time for them to have released the expansion was December 8th with the raid opening 4 weeks later on January 5th.

this is not how the market works, they need something to push the ernings for Q4 after the content drought of 8.3, and this is why every one was sure that they would release SL in Nov. way back in april

You are at the same time saying that they clearly delayed the patch and that they wouldn't delay the expansion.

See ^, they will release SL on the 26 finished or not and patch stuff after like they did in WOD, Legion and BFA (bfa didnt even had its MAIN System working "Azerite" untill 8.2)

[Malefic]

this is not how the market works, they need something to push the ernings for Q4 after the content drought of 8.3, and this is why every one was sure that they would release SL in Nov. way back in april



See ^, they will release SL on the 26 finished or not and patch stuff after like they did in WOD, Legion and BFA (bfa didnt even had its MAIN System working "Azerite" untill 8.2)

I'm aware of that, I don't think the game will be delayed and I even mentioned in a comment a few above that one that one of the reasons the expansion isn't going to be delayed is due to their Q4 performance being heavily relied on it.

The dates I gave are more just general dates that work within the scope of how the game functions and would have given them time to polish things, because unfortunately even if I don't think the game will be delayed, I think it needs to be and is going to be shipped in a very poor state.

[Jellybear14]

Not necessary. They could just say that they get 1 more week of development to issues instead of forcing prepatch...

Perhaps they think it is smarter to give players a more polished prepatch for 3 weeks instead of a bigger mess for 4 weeks.

I mean according to you: legion was 6 weeks, BFA 4 weeks. By your logic BFA should have been delayed because legion was 6 weeks...

My point was there as always been at least 4 weeks from pre-patch to release. I feel your logic is misplaced :-/

[newt0n]

My point was there as always been at least 4 weeks from pre-patch to release. I feel your logic is misplaced :-/

I think his point is, eventually your point will be misplaced as well. Things change. When (if?) Blizzard does a 3-week pre-patch then your "its always at least 4 weeks" is now "its always at least 3 weeks".... until its not.

[Kaelon]

Yeah, definitely not tomorrow. Probably the 6th or the 13th. Here's the logic I'm using:

Reality:

• Blizzard staff has notoriously been struggling while working from home this pandemic. They have been under such pressure to release Shadowlands this calendar year, that it's pretty clear they are cutting corners on events (like the Visions of N'zoth treadmill content). Therefore, it doesn't surprise me if the pre-patch's in-game "zombie-invasion" is lack-luster and short-duration - probably just 2 weeks long would be my bet.

Logistics:

• They just released another pre-patch candidate on the PTR, so they're still tweaking.
• They haven't announced anything, or signaled a conclusion of the PvP Season.
• Brewfest has another week to go, they wouldn't interrupt it with pre-patch chaos.

All of these things other posters have said, but taken together, it's pretty irrefutable to me that we've got another week or two left in the BFA paradigm. Here we go!

[Malefic]

Yeah, definitely not tomorrow. Probably the 6th or the 13th. Here's the logic I'm using:

Reality:

• Blizzard staff has notoriously been struggling while working from home this pandemic. They have been under such pressure to release Shadowlands this calendar year, that it's pretty clear they are cutting corners on events (like the Visions of N'zoth treadmill content). Therefore, it doesn't surprise me if the pre-patch's in-game "zombie-invasion" is lack-luster and short-duration - probably just 2 weeks long would be my bet.

Logistics:

• They just released another pre-patch candidate on the PTR, so they're still tweaking.
• They haven't announced anything, or signaled a conclusion of the PvP Season.
• Brewfest has another week to go, they wouldn't interrupt it with pre-patch chaos.

All of these things other posters have said, but taken together, it's pretty irrefutable to me that we've got another week or two left in the BFA paradigm. Here we go!

Just to clarify, they have announced and signalled a conclusion to the PvP Season.

[Yarathir]

Is anyone really still thinking the 29th and the 30th?

[newt0n]

Yeah, definitely not tomorrow. Probably the 6th or the 13th. Here's the logic I'm using:

Reality:

• Blizzard staff has notoriously been struggling while working from home this pandemic. They have been under such pressure to release Shadowlands this calendar year, that it's pretty clear they are cutting corners on events (like the Visions of N'zoth treadmill content). Therefore, it doesn't surprise me if the pre-patch's in-game "zombie-invasion" is lack-luster and short-duration - probably just 2 weeks long would be my bet.

Logistics:

• They just released another pre-patch candidate on the PTR, so they're still tweaking.
• They haven't announced anything, or signaled a conclusion of the PvP Season.
• Brewfest has another week to go, they wouldn't interrupt it with pre-patch chaos.

All of these things other posters have said, but taken together, it's pretty irrefutable to me that we've got another week or two left in the BFA paradigm. Here we go!

Are you saying there is another release candidate on the PTR? When did this happen? They did announce many things and 100% signaled the end of the pvp season (just not a specific date). They wouldn't interupt brewfest with pre-patch you say, but they are interrupting hallows end with the expansion?

[Kaelon]

Just to clarify, they have announced and signalled a conclusion to the PvP Season.

That is fair. But they're still releasing pre-patch candidates as of 12 hours ago onto the PTR, and there is no announcement.

[SniperCT]

Yeah, definitely not tomorrow. Probably the 6th or the 13th. Here's the logic I'm using:

Reality:

• Blizzard staff has notoriously been struggling while working from home this pandemic. They have been under such pressure to release Shadowlands this calendar year, that it's pretty clear they are cutting corners on events (like the Visions of N'zoth treadmill content). Therefore, it doesn't surprise me if the pre-patch's in-game "zombie-invasion" is lack-luster and short-duration - probably just 2 weeks long would be my bet.

Logistics:

• They just released another pre-patch candidate on the PTR, so they're still tweaking.
• They haven't announced anything, or signaled a conclusion of the PvP Season.
• Brewfest has another week to go, they wouldn't interrupt it with pre-patch chaos.

All of these things other posters have said, but taken together, it's pretty irrefutable to me that we've got another week or two left in the BFA paradigm. Here we go!

Shadowlands is launching in the middle of hallow's end, I really doubt that brewfest is a factor at all.

[Kaelon]

Are you saying there is another release candidate on the PTR? When did this happen? They did announce many things and 100% signaled the end of the pvp season (just not a specific date). They wouldn't interupt brewfest with pre-patch you say, but they are interrupting hallows end with the expansion?

The PTR continues getting updated, literally every 12-24 hours. The latest shift was a PTR reversion from Release Candidate to a Test Candidate about 24 hours ago, and there was a minor update to PTR since that today. Wowhead Weekly has a good overview on it, but AnnieFuschia and Perculia are chatty.

- - - Updated - - -

Shadowlands is launching in the middle of hallow's end, I really doubt that brewfest is a factor at all.

Regardless, I think that with zero notice, a one-hour maintenance window, and things still changing on the PTR, the evidence is piling up that nothing is happening tomorrow.

[newt0n]

The PTR continues getting updated, literally every 12-24 hours. The latest shift was a PTR reversion from Release Candidate to a Test Candidate about 24 hours ago, and there was a minor update to PTR since that today. Wowhead Weekly has a good overview on it, but AnnieFuschia and Perculia are chatty.

- - - Updated - - -



Regardless, I think that with zero notice, a one-hour maintenance window, and things still changing on the PTR, the evidence is piling up that nothing is happening tomorrow.

They pushed the Test build (from Release) like almost 3 days ago? Not 24 hours ago. Im not sure anyone truly thinks that the pre-patch is coming tomorrow. There are way too many reasons for it to NOT be tomorrow (most logical people gave up hope Friday night last week). At this point we can only hope its the 6th of Oct.

[Yarathir]

Semi-related note:

After the most recent PTR build (last week), some Night Elf hair colors were removed. Ion mentioned that they would return in the next PTR build. That PTR build has not hit yet.

[JacobusRex]

Semi-related note:

After the most recent PTR build (last week), some Night Elf hair colors were removed. Ion mentioned that they would return in the next PTR build. That PTR build has not hit yet.

You can have a pre-patch event without everything being totally finished. I'm NOT siding with or defending Blizz here, as I despise the leadership. I just think that PTR builds really don't mean much, let alone by way of evidence of anything.

[xenogear3]

Blizzard staff are watching Twitch, and ban dispel priests.
If lucky, they get a free Twitch sub from the streamers.

They don't have time to fix the bugs.

[Monster Hunter]

3 weeks for pre-patch seems like not enough to me, I don't think it has ever been that short.

I think it could be that short because of how disruptive the event is to normal play and the last time they did it a bunch of arseholes complained and had it cut short.

But still its 3 weeks of fun utter chaos and zombie invasions, one of my fondest memories was taking over darkshire as a scourge zombie, being able to cross faction talk as the scourge faction was very novel and unique at the time, I was very sad to suddenly log in one day and find they had turned the event off early.

[Malefic]

That is fair. But they're still releasing pre-patch candidates as of 12 hours ago onto the PTR, and there is no announcement.

I know that, I don't think it's being released tomorrow, I haven't thought for weeks it was being released tomorrow.

My point was that people keep saying it couldn't be released tomorrow because of a lack of announcement - but we did have the announcement. Many people keep commenting implying they're waiting for Blizzard to announce the end of Season when Blizzard has already done that.

- - - Updated - - -

Semi-related note:

After the most recent PTR build (last week), some Night Elf hair colors were removed. Ion mentioned that they would return in the next PTR build. That PTR build has not hit yet.

It will hit in about 20 hours~

The cycle is the same every week.

Tuesday afternoon NA/evening EU PTR build hits
Wednesday afternoon NA/evening EU Beta build hits.

[rrayy]

Yeah, definitely not tomorrow. Probably the 6th or the 13th. Here's the logic I'm using:

Reality:

• Blizzard staff has notoriously been struggling while working from home this pandemic. They have been under such pressure to release Shadowlands this calendar year, that it's pretty clear they are cutting corners on events (like the Visions of N'zoth treadmill content). Therefore, it doesn't surprise me if the pre-patch's in-game "zombie-invasion" is lack-luster and short-duration - probably just 2 weeks long would be my bet.

Prove it. Show us your link where BLizzard admits anything you said.

- - - Updated - - -

Shadowlands is launching in the middle of hallow's end, I really doubt that brewfest is a factor at all.

Agagin. The Pre-patch implements the level squish, not expansion release. Not remotely the same issue.

[TS26]

I'm just responding to the reason you stated for them not wanting to delay it?

There are a multitude of reasons?

Releasing early in a quarter allows them to report better financials for that quarter, a late Q4 release would result in poor Q4 performance.
A ton of money goes in to marketing, and advertising and now that the date is out there, that money would have been otherwise wasted, or would have had the opposite affect (Causing confusion surrounding the expansion and misinforming players and potential players). Furthermore, more money would then need to be spent on new promotional elements.
Any developer will tell you that delaying a product will immediately result in a plethora amount of pre-orders cancelled, which in turn results in some of those pre-orders never returning.

Those are 3 simple reasons off the top of my head I can think of to entertain you.

I mean I didn't claim it was the only reason. It's just the first thing that came to my head

[Anderson]

It's not coming tomorrow man.

The past pre-patch announcements tend to have been on Wednesdays-Fridays, the official date announcement for pre-patch of Battle for Azeroth was something like 3:30pm on Friday LA time (11:30pm UK time for me).

They also have never done less than a 4 week pre patch so your logic cant apply to one thing and not the other.